Page 3 of January Blues
I considered my options. “Any demon?”
That piqued his interest. “What do you have in mind?”
It was risky, but there was someone who would do anything to get up to the human realm. Someone tied to the demon realm, unable to ascend without a contract. Even a witch as powerful as Basil, with or without the blessing from his goddess, would struggle to keep this one in line. I could use him. There was a prickling feeling of guilt. I pushed it aside.
“As soon as I get this job done, you restore my form. Then, and only then, will I give you a true name of another demon. As soon as you’ve got the name, my contract with you is void.” I’d deal with ending Basil after. There had to be a way around the supposedly iron-clad clauses in the contract. I wouldn’t truly sell another demon into servitude to Basil.
There were countless emotions flickering over Basil’s face. Nerves and hope warred within me. I so desperately wanted to be free.
“Agreed,” he finally said.
“And Basil?”
“Yeah?”
“Get someone to go feed Hela.” I smirked at the gulp he made at the thought of my hellcat.
Basil saw and frowned. “I’ll bring her here. Disguise her for you.”
I went to interject and voice my protest. She was better off guarding my castle from interlopers who would take advantage of my absence, but he couldn’t be stopped.
“Meow?” Hela looked at me questioningly. I inclined my head at Basil and she hissed, making him jump.
“Holy fuck!” Austin exclaimed. “What is that?”
Hela hissed again, this time at the human. He paled and took several steps back.
With a complicated hand motion and some muttered words, Basil produced a purple leather collar. It matched the hue of my skin in my true form. He handed it to me. “Here, it works like the cuff.”
Giving her the option to refuse, I kneeled, holding it out to her. Hela sniffed it before purring her approval. I snapped the collar closed and in a blink there was a large sand colored fluffy beast of a cat in the place of the magnificent hellcat I owned.
Hellcats were rare. They were as big as tigers, black, with long spike tipped ears. Their tails, like most demons, were prehensile, though Hela had a venomous barb at the end of hers. She also had small wings, perfect for gliding after a jump, rather than flying. Hellcats were immune to fire, spitting balls of it as an extra defensive measure. I loved her true form. This was… cute, I guess.
“What is she?” I asked Basil.
“A Savannah cat. Always wanted one. They breed them from servals.”
In her new form, Hela was much larger than a domestic cat, reaching over a foot long. She had a stunning spotted pattern over her entire body.
We sat there, Hela and I, looking at each other. She purred, clearly happy with this body.
“Let’s get this done.”
January 2nd
Cody
Aslow,creepingawarenessthat something was wrong roused me from sleep. I peeled one eye open, catching my alarm clock blinking at me.
“No! No! No!” I flung the covers back and jumped out of bed onto a freezing cold hardwood floor. “Fuck!” I dropped onto the bed, defeated for a second. Late. I was so late!
Hoping it was just that I’d forgotten to turn the heat on, I got off the bed and rushed to my bathroom for the shower. I waited on the fluffy bath mat for the water to heat.
Nothing.
“Oh! Come on!”
I took a deep breath and used my centering techniques. Not having a lot of magic, being practically human, I didn’t have to worry about any stray power escaping when I got frustrated. I’d still learned all the practices that “proper” witches used, because my parents had been so hopeful I wouldn’t turn out as a dud in the magic department. Sorry, mom and dad. The breathing did its thing, and I refocused on the day ahead.
